ஆயுத பூஜை
Ayudha Puja is an
integral part of the Navratri festival
(festival of triumph), a Hindu festival which is traditionally
celebrated in India. It is also called "Astra Puja", the synonym for
Ayudha Puja. In simple terms, it means “Worship of Implements”. It is
celebrated in Karnataka (in
erstwhile Mysore State) as
“Ayudha Puje” (Kannada: ಆಯುಧ ಪುಜೆ), in Kerala as Ayudha Puja (Malayalam: ആയുധ പൂജ),
and in Tamil Nadu as Ayuda Pujai (Tamil: ஆயுத பூஜை) and . The festival falls on the ninth day or Navami of the bright half of Moon's cycle of
15 days (as per Almanac) in the
month of September/October, and is popularly a part of the Dasara or Navaratri or Durga
Pujaor Golu festival. On the ninth day of the
Dasara festival, weapons and tools are worshipped. In Karnataka, the
celebration is for killing of the demon king Mahishasura by goddess Chamundeshwari. After slaying of the
demon king, the weapons were kept out for worship. While Navaratri festival is
observed all over the country but in South
Indian states, where it is widely
celebrated as Ayudha Puja, there are slight variations of worship procedure.
The principal Shakti goddesses worshipped during the Ayudha
puja are Saraswati (the Goddess of wisdom, arts and
literature),Lakshmi (the goddess
of wealth) and Parvati (the divine mother), apart from
various types of equipment; it is on this occasion when weapons are worshipped
by soldiers and tools are revered by artisans. The Puja is considered a meaningful
custom, which focuses specific attention to one’s profession and its related
tools and connotes that a divine force is working behind it to perform well and
for getting the proper reward.
In the cross
cultural development that has revolutionized the society, with modern science
making a lasting impact on the scientific knowledge and industrial base in
India, the ethos of the old religious order is retained by worship of computers
and typewriters also during the Ayudha Puja, in the same manner as practised in
the past for weapons of warfare.
Two mythological legends
relate to this festival.
The popular legend,
which was also practiced symbolically by the Maharajas of Mysore, alludes to a
historical legend. It is said that on Vijayadashami day Arjuna, third of the five Pandava brothers, retrieved his
weapons of war from the hole in the Shami tree where he had hidden it before proceeding on the forced exile.
After completing his exile period of 13 years including one year of Agyatavas (living
incognito) before embarking on the war path against the Kauravas he retrieved
his weapons. In the Kurukshetra war that ensued, Arjuna was victorious.
Pandavas returned on Vijayadashami day and since then it is believed that this
day is auspicious to begin any new venture.But in Karnataka Ayudh Puja is
celebratorated by general public one day before of original festival day
Vijayadashami(the Ayudh Puja Day).
Another legend is of a pre-battle ritual involving human sacrifice as part of the Ayudh
Puja (considered a sub-rite of Dussehara festival that starts after the rainy
season and is propitiated before launching military campaigns). This practice
is no more prevalent. Now, instead of a human sacrifice, buffalo or sheep
sacrifice is in vogue, in some Hindu communities. The past practice is narrated
in the Tamil version of Mahabharata epic.
In this ritual, prevalent then in Tamil Nadu, ‘Kalapalli’ was a “sacrifice to
the battlefield”, which involved human sacrifice before and after battles. Duryodhana, the Kaurava chief was advised by
astrologer (Sahadeva) that the propitious time for
performing Kalapalli was on amavasya day (New
Moon day), one day before the start of Kurukshetra war and Iravan (son of Arjuna), also spelt Aravan, had agreed to
be the victim for the sacrifice. But Krishna, the benefactor of Pandavas smelt trouble and he devised
a plan to persuade Iravan to be the representative of the Pandavas and also of
the Kauravas. Krishna had suggested to Yudhishtira-the eldest of the Pandavas, to
sacrifice Aravan to goddess Kali as a part of Ayudh Puja. After this sacrifice, Kali had blessed Pandavas for victory in the Kurukshetra
war. Similar cult practices (considered as Draupadi cult practices) were
prevalent in North Karnataka also but the ritual of human sacrifice
was done one day after the Dasara on a stone altar outside a Kali temple.
Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, Golu is the festival celebrated during the Navaratri period. On this occasion
dolls, predominantly that of the Gods and Goddesses from Hindu Tradition are
artistically arranged on a seven stepped wooden platform. Traditionally,
'marapachi' wooden dolls representing Perumal and Thayaar are also displayed together
at a dominant location on the top step of the platform erected specially for
the occasion. On the 9th day (Navami day), Saraswati puja is performed when
special prayers are offered to goddess Saraswati - the divine source of wisdom
and enlightenment. Books and musical instruments are placed in the puja
pedestal and worshipped. Also, tools are placed for the Ayudh puja. Even
vehicles are washed and decorated, and
puja performed for them on this occasion. As part of the Golu festival,
Saraswati puja is performed as Ayudh puja. This is followed by the
Vijayadashami celebrations at the culmination of the ten day festivities. Apart
from the golu pooja, Ayudah Puja has become
very popular when business houses celebrate it ardently
The tools and all
implements of vocation are first cleaned. All the tools, machines, vehicles and
other devices are then painted or well polished after which they are smeared
withturmeric paste, sandalwood paste (in
the form of a tilak (insignia or mark) and Kumkum (vermillion). Then, in the evening, previous to the
puja day, they are placed on an earmarked platform and decorated with flowers.
In the case of weapons of war, they are also cleaned, bedecked with flowers and
tilak and placed in a line, adjacent to a wall. On the morning of the puja that
is on the navami day, they are all worshipped along with the images of
Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati. Books and musical instruments are also placed
on the pedestal for worship. On the day of the puja, these are not to be
disturbed. The day is spent in worship and contemplation
